How romantic can marriage be in a historical?

Jane Ashford, author of Married to a Perfect Stranger, explores how to keep things interesting in a historical romance when the relationship is restricted by social mores.

Jane: Many fairy tales, Shakespearian comedies, and a lot of romance novels end with a wedding. Courtship, in various guises and with all kinds of vicissitudes, forms the center of the story. The protagonists clash and collaborate and finally declare their undying love. And then they marry and live happily ever after. (Alternatively, in A Thousand and One Nights, "They lived happily until there came to them the one who destroys all happiness," that is, Death; or, in some Russian fairy tales, "They lived long and happily, and died together on the same day.") It's a roller-coaster buildup to the bended knee and the big question — will you marry me?

But this pattern has some drawbacks if you're writing a historical romance, particularly these days, when many readers are looking for more adventure or more spice in their books. Staying true to the social realities of bygone eras can raise obstacles to your love story. How do you get rid of the chaperone? How far can your heroine go without risking social ruin? If your hero flouts convention to her detriment, is he still likable? Does anyone believe that the daughter of a duke can actually escape close supervision?

But all these problems are solved in one fell swoop if your protagonists are married. This must be one reason why the marriage-of-convenience trope is so popular.

So what are the advantages of writing a (particularly historical) romance about a married couple?

Alone together

Your duo lives in the same house, without pesky supervision. There's no need to think up incidents to get them together, or find excuses for them to be alone. No secret notes flying back and forth or contrived expeditions. On the contrary, they can't escape each other.

Shared goals

Husband and wife are working on the same project — their life. Of course, there will be other things going on in an interesting read. They'll be spying on foreign agents or conducting arcane scientific experiments or tracking down a murderer or fighting the injustice of the neighboring lord. But along with all that, they face the high-stakes challenge of their own future.

Sex!

Historical mores put limits on single people's intimate behavior, especially the women. Until they were married. After the ceremony, it's no holds barred. So you can choose the level of spice you want in your story. The bedroom may be one of the areas that the couple has to figure out. Or it may be a high point, with other elements getting in the way of marital bliss.

Family complications

Two families are part of every marriage. Every couple is formed by their histories, pushed by patterns that last well beyond childhood. Families offer a cast of characters who have critical roles in the story. They can generate laughs, conflict, pathos. The range is as large as human nature.

So, in all these ways, writing about a married couple gives you scope in writing a (particularly historical) romance.

What about the big finish?

But, you might ask, where's the payoff if they're married already? Readers get no proposal, no chance to see the author come up with a fresh and creative way to render that pivotal moment. There's no wedding scene in the epilogue.

Well, I'd say there's a bigger ending to go for. I think true love happens only when people come to recognize, and cherish, each other's real nature. And that rarely happens until they're spending every day together and experiencing the hassles and joys and misunderstandings and unavoidable tragedies of daily life. How does he react when everything's going wrong? When does she honestly rejoice? Who steps up with support? Is it then reciprocated? To me, it's the accumulation of those telling moments that makes a marriage strong and sweet for the decades of years beyond the bended knee.

Here's the blurb about Married to a Perfect Stranger (courtesy of Sourcebooks Casablanca):

Time and distance have changed them both…

Quiet and obliging, Mary Fleming and John Bexley marry to please their families and John immediately leaves on a two-year diplomatic mission. Now John is back, and everything they thought they knew about each other was wrong…

It's disconcerting, irritating—and somehow all very exciting…

Find out more about Jane and her books at www.janeashford.com.